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FBO DAILY ISSUE OF MAY 29, 2010 FBO #3108
SOLICITATION NOTICE

B -- Functional Hierarchical Organization of Species - Specific Vocalization Processing in Rhesus Monkeys

Notice Date

5/27/2010
 

Notice Type

Presolicitation
 

NAICS

541990 — All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
 

Contracting Office

Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Station Support/Simplified Acquisitions, 31 Center Drive, Room 1B59, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
 

ZIP Code

20892
 

Solicitation Number

NOI-1525282
 

Archive Date

6/30/2010
 

Point of Contact

Liem T Nguyen, Phone: 3014358780
 

E-Mail Address

ln18x@nih.gov
(ln18x@nih.gov)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Office of Acquisitions Station Support Simplified Acquisitions Branch on behalf of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) intends to negotiate, on a non-competitive basis, with Georgetown University Medical Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Neurology and Psychology, Washington DC 20057, for professional services to support the NIMH's investigation plan of auditory processing of complex sounds in the rSTG. This acquisition will be processed under FAR Part 12 - Acquisition for Commercial Items and will be made pursuant to the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) and FAR 13.501 (a)(1) to use Simplified Acquisition Procedure for commercial items. The North American Industry Classification System Code is 541990 and the business size standard is $7.0 million. The NIMH, Section on Cognitive Neuroscience in the Laboratory of Neuropsychology (SCNLN) conducts basic research on the neural mechanisms underlying such cognitive functions as perception, memory, and emotion in non-human primates. A major focus of the lab has been to examine auditory cortical processing streams and the mechanisms supporting different types of auditory perception and memory. However, there is still a paucity of information about the auditory cortical processing streams in monkeys, particularly at levels beyond the primary and second auditory areas. Part of the SCNLN ongoing work is aimed at gaining some understanding of the cerebral circuits mediating not only auditory memory but also primate vocal communication, in the hope that this may help lay the groundwork for unraveling the circuitry underlying human speech and language. NIMH's efforts to understand auditory processing the proposed project are undertaken to elucidate the relationship between neuronal activity in the auditory cortex and sound perception. Specifically, the SCNLN researchers are interested in the abilities of non-human primates in perceiving and remembering complex sounds, including monkey vocalizations, and how auditory cortical single neuron responses relate to behavioral performance. Auditory responses of superior temporal neurons outside the early auditory areas (core, belt, and parabelt areas) have rarely been examined systematically. Only a few studies have investigated the neuronal basis of species-specific vocalization processing in macaque monkeys; the anterolateral (AL) belt region and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vPFC). These two cortical areas are anatomically connected through the rostral part of the superior temporal gyrus (Hackett et al., 1998; Romanski et al., 1999). Furthermore, recent noninvasive imaging studies have shown that the rostral portion of the superior temporal gyrus (rSTG) was differentially activated when animal process conspecific sounds (Poremba et al., 2004; Petkov et al., 2006). NIMH researchers predict that neurons in the rSTG play an essential role for the processing of complex sounds especially to species-specific vocalizations and there is a hierarchy of functional organization of auditory processing that exists in the superior temporal cortex, just as it does for visual processing in the inferior temporal cortex. It is plausible that a subset of neurons in the rSTG responds more selectively to complex and behaviorally significant sounds than do neurons in the early auditory areas. NIMH-SCNLN plans to use behavioral and electrophysiological measures to evaluate how neurons in rSTG respond to monkey calls in alert monkeys. The SCNLN researchers have recent data that demonstrates the rSTG contains a large proportion of auditory responsive neurons that are highly selective to complex sounds (Kikuchi et al., Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 30, 2004). The SCNLN researchers also have shown that a number of neurons in the rSTG exhibit long-latency, sustained excitatory activity in response to many sounds, but preferentially to certain complex sounds, such as monkey vocalizations and often heard environmental sounds. These neurons, located within the ventral auditory processing stream, are therefore likely to contribute to the discrimination/identification of familiar auditory stimuli and/or complex sounds (Kikuchi et al. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 32, 2006). NIMH-SCNLN plans to extend the investigations of auditory processing of complex sounds in the rSTG. Initial experiments will compare responses in the early auditory areas (e.g. belt areas) so that the researchers can compare directly the neuronal response properties near the two end stations of the stimulus-quality processing stream. If, as presumed, the stream is organized hierarchically, there should be a larger proportion and greater selectivity of vocalization-tuned neurons in the rostral station than there is in the caudal station. The researchers will also enlarge the lab's sample of monkey vocalizations by adding digitally recorded vocalizations of monkeys familiar to the experimental subjects, on the possibility that this will increase the proportion and selectivity of call-responsive cells. Finally, to see if the long-latency, sustained neuronal response might be a signal of call discrimination/identification, researchers will degrade the vocalizations by inserting varying amounts of white noise and then measure whether, at the threshold for discrimination between degraded calls and white noise, correct responses to the degraded calls are associated more often than are incorrect responses with these long-latency, sustained responses. Dr. Rauschecker of Georgetown University is a widely recognized expert in auditory processing in macaque monkeys. He has published numerous papers and has been a regular collaborator with this lab. Dr. Kukichi of Georgetown University has performed some of the work on which the proposed experiments are based, thus the proposed collaboration provides the NIMH-SCNLN the most efficient means to complete the proposed research. The collaborators are experienced with all aspects and have the means by which to carry out the proposed studies. The contractor shall perform the following tasks to include: 1. Neurophysiological studies in at least two monkeys as outlined above and using both standardized as well as specially designed tests of auditory discrimination and/or memory. 2. Direction on specific methodologies to be used. The team at Georgetown University includes investigators who are experts in each of the above methodologies, and they will provide whatever training that may be required. The specific design of each study will be worked out by the collaborative research team together with the contractor. It has been determined that Drs. Rauschecker and Kukichi of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Neurology and Psychology, Georgetown University are the only source qualified to perform the services. No other sources will satisfy the agency's requirement. The acquisition is a fee-for-service type. The period of performance for this project is to be one year from the award date with option for three (3) one-year optional periods. Work to be performed at NIH, NIMH facility and at Georgetown University. This is not a solicitation for competitive quotations. However, interested party may submit a statement of capabilities on or before 5:00 PM E.T., June 5, 2010 to Liem T Nguyen, ln18x@nih.gov. All information furnished must be in writing and must contain sufficient detail to allow the NIDA/NIMH to determine if it can meet the above unique specifications described herein. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. In order to receive an award from the NIDA vendor must be registered in the Online Representations and Certifications Applications (ORCA) at http://orca.bpn.gov. In addition, vendor must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) at www.ccr.gov. Please reference announcement number NOI-1526282 on all correspondence.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NIDA-2/NOI-1525282/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Zip Code: 20892
 

Record

SN02162460-W 20100529/100527235353-f7cb22f7654c8f454ea49bdde0b5efcd (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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